Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Guest Blog: Willa Blair: Why Stop in the Middle When You Can Finish?

Why
is a book so easy to start and so hard to continue once you get to
chapter four? This is a topic that comes up again and again among
authors I know, from aspiring authors to the multi-published. Everyone
loves the beginning of their story. The conflict is new, the
possibilities are endless, and oh, that hero! We do love a new book
boyfriend, don't we?

And then there's the finish. No, no, not
that. Of the book. The ending is clear. The path to the ending is
muddy, full of pitfalls, and confused with sidetracks that
lead nowhere.

Some of us write outlines. They're great, but
they don't stop us from spending hours perfecting the opening hook,
introducing the hero and heroine, setting up the initial conflict, and
polishing the first three chapters until they shine. Then hitting the
proverbial wall. Is this sounding familiar to anybody? Yes, of
course. You're all nodding.

Here are a few tricks I've
learned. When I get stuck, I sometimes resort to the tried and true
tactic of putting the book away. It may go in a drawer for days,
weeks or months until I can look at it with a fresh eye. By then, I've
thought long and hard and come up with a solution. Or I've ignored it,
let my subconscious work on it, and come up with a solution. At least,
that's the plan.

But that's chancy, and it wastes a lot of writing time.

A
better tactic is to move your hero and heroine to a new location (road
trip!), or to introduce a new character who will add new complications
to the plot, such as an old lover, a new villain (worse than the old
villain), or another person who needs to be rescued. That fresh element
may do the trick.

An even better tactic is to skip ahead and
write a scene that you know will be fun to write. That scene may be a
turning point in the book's central conflict, but I've found that a sex
scene usually works. Once you (ahem) get your juices flowing again, you
can return to the scene that had you stumped and write it. Or you may
choose to delete it and adjust your plot to include some better idea
you've had since you last left that scene. Either way, you're forging
ahead again.

From there, you'll be well on your way to reaching your goal and typing 'The End.' And won't that feel great?

***************BIO:Willa
Blair is the best-selling and award-winning author of Scottish romance
with a paranormal twist, set in the 16th century Highlands, when the old
ways, and old talents, still shaped events.

She always wished
she had several psi talents, such as reading her husband’s mind,
cleaning house by simply thinking about it, and flying. But alas, no. So
she endows her historical romance characters with special talents and
lives vicariously through them. She loves reading and writing romance
novels set in the past, present and future.

BLURB:Donal
MacNabb is loyal to his adopted Lathan clan, yet he resents being a pawn
in their treaty negotiations with the struggling MacKyries. The
MacKyrie clan needs his skills as an arms master, but its Laird is
bartering for more than Donal is prepared to give.

Ellie MacKyrie
knows the Lathan treaty will help protect her clan from the neighbor
determined to seize her holdings any way he can—including forcing her
into marriage. But she has another reason to want the Lathan alliance.
She has Seen the stubborn Donal MacNabb reaching for her in her dreams.

While
Donal fights to save a clan in trouble, his desire for the MacKyrie
Seer wars with his obligation to his Laird. Before she is forced into a
marriage that will destroy her clan, Ellie must find the heart behind
Donal’s gruff exterior and convince him he is the man of her dreams.

Highland Seer's official release date is 1 November. Until then, it's on sale on Amazon for $2.99. Buy link: http://amzn.to/186cnLQ

8 comments:

Willa, I would love to be able to clean my house with my mind. lol Animals can communicate with one another, but we have lost that ability. I believe we once had the ability to do things with just our minds but have lost it.

Enjoyable post Willa. When my middle sags, (lol not art imitating life)I start at the beginning and read and tweak. As a pantser, I can't skip scenes. That train will never get back on the track if I do.